Dead Raccoon Removal in Georgia

DPH's Rabies Control Manual says the state lab accepts a specimen for rabies testing only when a person or domestic animal was exposed to the animal. A dead raccoon that nobody touched is not routinely tested. If someone was bitten, DPH says to report it to the county health department or 1-866-PUB-HLTH (1-866-782-4584). For other contact by a person or pet, ask the county health department what to do with the carcass.

Ask the county health department what to do with the carcass. DPH's Rabies Control Manual says the state lab accepts a specimen for rabies testing only when a person or domestic animal was exposed to the animal. DPH's rabies page notes that in the United States, wild animals such as raccoons sometimes infect cats, dogs and livestock. This site gives no veterinary or medical advice.

It depends on the place and where the raccoon lies. Henry County's request page says it does not remove small wildlife such as raccoons regardless of location, although Henry's code (3-4-8) still makes dead animals in county-road rights of way a duty of its Animal Care and Control and county DOT (both read 2026-10-01). Athens-Clarke FAQ 142 limits street and right-of-way collection to animals the size of an armadillo, raccoon or opossum or larger; its Dead Animal Pickup Request page asks residents to put a yard animal at the curb, while FAQ 279 calls an animal off the street or right of way the resident's responsibility. Gwinnett removes dead animals from public property, and from private property takes only small carcasses, bagged and set roadside. Atlanta collects at the curb once you carry the animal there.

We found no statewide depth or setback rule for burying a wild animal in a homeowner's yard, and burying on your own land is an option only where local code allows it. The 3-foot burial depth often quoted belongs to the Dead Animal Disposal Act, which covers livestock-type animals. Unincorporated Cobb County's code, section 10-7(c), says buried carcasses must be at least three feet below ground level, but no more than eight feet, with not less than three feet of earth over the carcass; the section's abandonment rule is written around a person who owns or cares for the animal, and we found no county page on how it applies to a wild animal that dies on your lot. Augusta's section 4-1-26(f) sets its own 3-foot burial rule; its duties are likewise written around a person who owns or is caring for the animal and 'the owner of any dead animal carcass'. Unincorporated Forsyth County's code bars burying wildlife outside agricultural zoning.